Dallas Bishop Edward Burns addresses the media Aug. 19, 2018, during a news conference. The Rev. Edmundo Paredes is accused of molesting teens and stealing from his parish, St. Cecilia Catholic Church in Dallas, where he had served for 27 years.(Photo: Rex C Curry, The Dallas Morning News via AP)

DALLAS – A Dallas priest accused of molesting teens and taking at least $60,000 from his parish now is missing, Roman Catholic Church officials said.

At St. Cecilia Catholic Church, where the Rev. Edmundo Paredes had served for 27 years, parishioners said Sunday that he may have fled to his native Philippines, where he has been taking annual vacations.

Bishop Edward Burns told parishioners over the weekend the Dallas Diocese has hired two private investigators to try to track Paredes down.

"Now that we know of his criminal sexual acts, we want to get a handle on him," Burns said.

The church first began investigating Paredes in May 2017 over allegations he stole $60,000 to $80,000 in cash from the parish. The priest admitted to the financial misconduct, was suspended from ministry and removed from the church in June 2017, the bishop said.

St. Cecilia had a celebratory Mass for Paredes on June 1, 2017, according to a St. Cecilia Catholic School Facebook post. And another Facebook post, now not available publicly, called it a retirement celebration.

The Rev. Edmundo Paredes prepares for communion June 5, 2008, at St. Cecilia Catholic Church in Dallas. Paredes, a Texas priest now accused of molesting teens and stealing from his parish, has gone missing.(Photo: Juan Garcia, The Dallas Morning News via AP)

But in February, church officials received allegations that Paredes had molested three teen boys more than a decade ago. Diocese officials immediately filed a report with law enforcement agencies to launch a criminal investigation, Burns said.

Paredes can no longer administer the sacraments or otherwise represent himself as a priest, the bishop said.

Burns disclosed the allegations to parishioners Sunday after consulting with the Diocesan Review Board, a group of nonclergy Catholics who counsel the diocese on matters involving the sexual abuse of minors. The information wasn’t disclosed earlier because officials didn’t want to hinder the police investigation or compromise the victims’ identities, Gonzales Taylor said.

However, after a Pennsylvania grand jury released a nearly 900-page report Tuesday detailing allegations of sexual abuse against 301 priests, Burns said telling parishioners at Parades' former church was necessary.

Members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests contend that Burns waited too long.

"Why would Bishop burns suppress this crucial information?" Lisa Kendzior and Paul Petersen, Dallas chapter leaders of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said in a statement. "Was it to protect the diocese from scandal?

"What about concern for the safety of children and the need to comfort any survivors?" they asked. "Where is the transparency that the Catholic bishops promised?"

After Mass on Sunday, Sylvia Segura, 61, told The Dallas Morning News that she broke down in tears because the news about Paredes caught her by surprise.

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Irene Youngman, of Hershey, holds a box of white ribbons that parishioners could wear to support the survivors of clergy abuse, outside of Saint Patrick Cathedral prior to the 'Mass of Forgiveness' in Harrisburg on Friday, August 17, 2018. The mass was part the Church's 'on-going need for repentance and healing,' according to the Diocese of Harrisburg's website. Ty Lohr, York Daily Record

Saint Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg on Friday, August 17, 2018. The 'Mass of Forgiveness' was part the Church's 'on-going need for repentance and healing,' according to the Diocese of Harrisburg's website. Ty Lohr, York Daily Record

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Susan Shebosky, of Harrisburg, and her friend, Irene Youngman, of Hershey, hand out white ribbons in front of Saint Patrick Cathedral prior to the 'Mass of Forgiveness' in Harrisburg on Friday, August 17, 2018. 'It's for people to ask you, 'what's that ribbon for?'' Shebosky said. Ty Lohr, York Daily Record

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Bishop Ronald Gainer, right, and Reverend Joshua Brommer enter into the Sanctuary during a 'Mass of Forgiveness' at Saint Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg on Friday, August 17, 2018. The mass was part the Church's 'on-going need for repentance and healing,' according to the Diocese of Harrisburg's website. Ty Lohr, York Daily Record

Bishop Ronald Gainer enters the altar during a 'Mass of Forgiveness' at Saint Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg on Friday, August 17, 2018. The mass was part of what the church called its 'on-going need for repentance and healing.' Since a grand jury report in August about rampant sexual abuse by priests on Pennsylvania, nearly 1,500 calls have been placed to a hotline set up by the state attorney general to hear from victims of clergy abuse. Ty Lohr, York Daily Record

A priest's hands fold in prior during a 'Mass of Forgiveness' at Saint Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg on Friday, August 17, 2018. The mass was part the Church's 'on-going need for repentance and healing,' according to the Diocese of Harrisburg's website. Ty Lohr, York Daily Record

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A nun looks over a sheet of music during a 'Mass of Forgiveness' at Saint Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg on Friday, August 17, 2018. The mass was part the Church's 'on-going need for repentance and healing,' according to the Diocese of Harrisburg's website. Ty Lohr, York Daily Record

Bishop Ronald Gainer sits during the start of the 'Mass of Forgiveness' at Saint Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg on Friday, August 17, 2018. The mass was part the Church's 'on-going need for repentance and healing,' according to the Diocese of Harrisburg's website. Ty Lohr, York Daily Record

Bishop Ronald Gainer sings during the 'Mass of Forgiveness' at Saint Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg on Friday, August 17, 2018. The mass was part the Church's 'on-going need for repentance and healing,' according to the Diocese of Harrisburg's website. Ty Lohr, York Daily Record

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Bishop Ronald Gainer, of the Diocese of Harrisburg, prays before communion while surrounded by priests during a 'Mass of Forgiveness' at Saint Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg on Friday, August 17, 2018. The mass was part the Church's 'our on-going need for repentance and healing,' according to the Diocese of Harrisburg's website. Ty Lohr, York Daily Record

Bishop Ronald Gainer, of the Diocese of Harrisburg, prays before communion while surrounded by priests during a 'Mass of Forgiveness' at Saint Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg on Friday, August 17, 2018. The mass was part the Church's 'our on-going need for repentance and healing,' according to the Diocese of Harrisburg's website. Ty Lohr, York Daily Record

Parishioners pray during a 'Mass of Forgiveness' at Saint Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg on Friday, August 17, 2018. The mass was part the Church's 'on-going need for repentance and healing,' according to the Diocese of Harrisburg's website. Ty Lohr, York Daily Record

Parishioners pray during a 'Mass of Forgiveness' at Saint Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg on Friday, August 17, 2018. The mass was part the Church's 'on-going need for repentance and healing,' according to the Diocese of Harrisburg's website. Ty Lohr, York Daily Record

Bishop Ronald Gainer hands out 'the sacrament' during communion during a 'Mass of Forgiveness' at Saint Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg on Friday, August 17, 2018. The mass was part the Church's 'on-going need for repentance and healing,' according to the Diocese of Harrisburg's website. Ty Lohr, York Daily Record

Parishioners line up for communion during a 'Mass of Forgiveness' at Saint Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg on Friday, August 17, 2018. The mass was part the Church's 'on-going need for repentance and healing,' according to the Diocese of Harrisburg's website. Ty Lohr, York Daily Record

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Steve Ciccocioppo, of Duncannon, looks up at a priest while taking the chalice for communion, during a 'Mass of Forgiveness' at Saint Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg on Friday, August 17, 2018. The mass was part the Church's 'on-going need for repentance and healing,' according to the Diocese of Harrisburg's website. Ty Lohr, York Daily Record

A young girl takes takes a chalice during communion at a 'Mass of Forgiveness' at Saint Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg on Friday, August 17, 2018. The mass was part the Church's 'on-going need for repentance and healing,' according to the Diocese of Harrisburg's website. Ty Lohr, York Daily Record

A parishioner takes the chalice from a priest during communion at 'Mass of Forgiveness' at Saint Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg on Friday, August 17, 2018. The mass was part the Church's 'on-going need for repentance and healing,' according to the Diocese of Harrisburg's website. Ty Lohr, York Daily Record

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The Rev. Richard Zula leaves court after a preliminary hearing before District Justice Frances Cornish of Confluence, Pa., on Dec. 21, 1988. In 1990, Zula received concurrent prison sentences for convictions in Washington and Somerset counties for sexually assaulting two boys. He died in 2017. Bill Levis/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP

This January 1988 photo shows the Rev. Francis Pucci, a Roman Catholic Priest who was accused of sexual assault, but criminal charges were later dropped because the statute of limitations had passed. Pucci was forced by Bishop Donald Wuerl into early retirement and banned from parish ministry, allowed only to say Mass for nuns at the convent where he resided until his death in 2002. Bill Levis/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP

The Rev. Robert Wolk, a Roman Catholic priest, is led from the courtroom by deputies after receiving a 5- to 10-year sentence from Judge George Ross for child molestation on April 3, 1990. Wolk voluntarily left the priesthood. Bill Levis/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP